Abigail Badiang
Hello, my name is Abigail and I’m currently a sophomore, hoping to study physics/astronomy. I’ve been interested in astronomy and mathematics since I was a little girl and premap will help bridge the gap between academic knowledge and academic research. Outside of school, I am a gamer, planetarium coordinator, and, a part-time freelance artist!
Aryan Desai
Hello! My name is Aryan, and I’m a sophomore planning to major in Comprehensive Physics. I’ve always been enamored by physics: the process of turning an abstract question into something that can actually be modelled, tested, and understood. I co-authored a research paper in high school and am currently working on scientific data compression. Outside of academics, I enjoy singing, drawing, gaming, and almost any sport you could name.
Zack Erickson
Hello there! My name is Zack Erickson, and I am a first-year student at the University of Washington. I am currently a pre-sciences major, but I plan to double major in astronomy and physics. I have always loved space since I was a kid, and I took a general astronomy course my junior year of high school which motivated me to pursue astronomy as a career. I decided to join Pre-MAP because of my desire to do actual research in the field, apply my skills I currently have, and help me explore a specific field I might want to pursue. In my free time, I enjoy doing photography, reading, hanging out with my friends, and I’ve gotten into playing Minecraft again recently. I look forward to building new skills and making fun memories!
Gabriel Espinal
Hello, my name is Gabriel Espinal. I am an international student from Tegucigalpa,Honduras and I am currently a sophomore at the UW studying Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering. I have always been interested in the intersection between aerospace and astronomy. I have always been interested in deep space exploration and the learning we have achieved through NASA and other efforts. Some things that I like to do when not being locked in at university I like to go sightseeing, walking through trails, watching movies, building LEGOs, and collecting stickers to put on my computer. I look forward to learning so much from Pre-MAP and making the most of my experience in the program.
Lucinda Garcia
Hello, my name is Lucinda Garcia. I am from the 509 here in Washington. I am currently a sophomore at the University of Washington and planning to major in astronomy. The “Big why” for astronomy is that it’s a huge field and there is always something new to be discovered. I’ve always been passionate about astronomy since a young age, when I was running around Barnes and Noble looking at books about the cosmos, the Big Rip theory, and String theory.
Alissa Hinckley
My name is Alissa Hinckley! I am a second year at UW triple-majoring in East Asian Literature and Cultures, Japanese Language, and Astronomy. I’m from Seattle, WA. My passion for astronomy started in my childhood, using my dad’s computer to look through WISE imagines to find brown dwarfs through NASA’s Backyard Worlds citizen science program. I thought it was so cool to be able to find objects so far away. I am excited to have the opportunity to continue to expand our knowledge of the vast universe through PRE-MAP. In free my time, I like to play violin, read and hike through Washington’s wilderness!
Elyza Jocson
Hello! My name is Elyza Jocson, and I am a second-year student at the University of Washington who hopes to double major in Astronomy and Physics. My love for astronomy began simply from a video comparing the sizes of objects in our universe, from our solar system’s planets to the cosmic web. This evolved into a passion to research the various cosmological processes throughout the universe and to discover the “why” behind the unknown. I am the treasurer of the Society of Physics Students at UW, and my other interests are traveling to different countries and playing the piano (I also really want to get into astrophotography someday).
Aadhya Patel
Hi! My name is Aadhya Patel, and I’m a second-year at UW studying mechanical engineering. I’ve gone to eleven schools before landing in Redmond, WA. I’ve always been interested in space exploration and aspired to be an astronaut for the longest time before realizing I wanted to build the spacecraft instead. To keep exploring, a friend and I got an 8-inch Dobsonian telescope this summer and saw the Moon and Saturn! I’m excited for Pre-MAP to show me how to turn that curiosity into real astronomy research. Outside of class, I dance on UW Raas, love cooking, go bouldering, and read way too much fantasy.
Jeren Regala
Hello, my name is Jeren Regala. I am a Seattle native, raised in the small and tight-knit community of Rainier Valley. I am currently a freshman here at UW, and plan to double-major in both Astronomy and in Physics. I originally had never planned to major in either field. I had planned to follow the nursing or pre-med path, and to follow that career expectation for myself. However, I found that I had a love for mathematics and physics however, and tapped into my old dreams of studying space. Outside of university life, I am involved in my local community through coaching sports, setting up local volunteer events, and being a mentor to younger students. I look forward to connecting with everyone!
Michi Aurora Rosas
Hi, my name is Michi! This is my first year at UW and I’m hoping to major in Astronomy with a minor in physics. I’ve loved solving problems and creating things through code since elementary school, and I’d love to contribute to our understanding of the universe with it. I read encyclopedias along with fairy tales as a kid, and I think there’s something beautifully human in our collective curiosity about space. When I’m not agonizing over math problems, I’m gaming, drawing, embroidering, reading, playing badminton, etc. The night sky isn’t just something I study, it’s my inspiration too! 🙂
Catie Yarter
Hi, my name is Catie Yarter and I am from Claremont, California. I am currently a second-year student at UW, and I am hoping to double major in Physics and Astronomy. I have been interested in astronomy and space for as long as I can remember, but I realized that I could make a career out of my passion when I watched The Martian. Outside of school, I spend my time reading, playing tennis, and watching movies. I am very excited to gain more research experience through this course!
Yuko Zhu
Hi! I’m Yuko from Bellevue, WA. The Pre-MAP contents were very interesting to me and I’m looking forward to learning about research in the field and connecting with others in this smaller section environment. Some of my interests include traveling, f1, hanging out with friends, etc.